Gender Orientation

Genetic Issues In Biologically Defining Sexuality

I have previously discussed the spiritual aspects of Transgenderism and compared them with Christianity. In that post, I covered how Transgenderism as a movement can seem to have a spiritual component to it. Today in this post, however, I wish to discuss the physical side of it. There are legitimate physical and genetic abnormalities that occur which can cause what some might believe to be transgender qualities. My hope is that a further inquiry into the different abnormalities and their probabilities of occurrence will give more insight to those who think they are transgender and to those who deny transgenderism altogether.

For the most part, the way that gender works, biologically speaking, is that out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes (totaling 46), two are used to determine sex: X and Y. Most of the time everyone has two, one from mom and the other from dad. If you have a genetic makeup of XX, you will develop female parts. If you have XY, you will develop male parts. For most people, there is no such thing as gender assignment at birth, because it is the natural course of genetics, unless you want to blame your parents, nature itself or God. However, there are rare occasions when biological gender can be complicated.

However, there are occasions when things don’t work right as the sperm and egg form in the respective parents. When that sperm and egg combine, sometimes a person is born missing sex chromosomes, other times it can be that they have extra ones. Sometimes hormone treatment is needed to help these people develop healthy physical and social lives. Prepare to dive deep in biology for this discussion. I will try to translate as much as I can and put things in layman’s terms, but when we are talking about genes and genetic expression, it can get complicated.

First off when discussing genetics, there are two terms that must be defined. Genotype is the genetic makeup of the individual, whereas phenotype is the actual physically expressed trait. One would expect that if a person had a specific genotype for a particular trait, then the phenotype should match. For various reasons, this is not always the case. Below are some of the more common genetic disorders that happen with the sex chromosomes and their occurrences.

Turner’s Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/2500 live female births.

General Description:

A person with Turner’s syndrome is genetically missing a sex chromosome (XO, 45 chromosomes). The gender that is produced is female. Many times the girl does not go through puberty meaning that breast, vaginal, and other body parts remain childlike. Sometimes girls with this condition are treated with a variety of hormones to induce growth and puberty.

Common Symptoms:

  • webbing of neck
  • narrowing of aorta
  • reduced height
  • no menstrual cycle or pubic hair
  • gonads undifferentiated, secreting no hormones.

There are other symptoms, some noticeable at birth, others later in childhood. Sometimes the severity of these symptoms can be different in mosaic girls. Mosaic means some of their cells are (XO) and some are (XX). Physical development can range from the symptoms above to normal in these girls, which means that some may be able to go through puberty naturally and get pregnant, but this may require fertility treatments. 

Click here for more information.

Klinefelter’s Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/500 live male births.

General Description:

Klinefelter’s syndrome is the most common chromosome disorder in males who have an extra X chromosome (XXY, 47 chromosomes). The gender that is produced is male. As in Turner’s syndrome mosaicism can occur, where some cells are XXY and others are XY (normal). In some rarer cases, the males can have 3, 4, and even 5 X chromosomes in addition to the Y. With each additional X there is a reduction in IQ.

Common Symptoms:

  • Decreased sperm and androgens
  • Smaller penis and testicles
  • Disproportionately long arms and legs
  • Hair growth during puberty is light
  • Infertility

Boys normally do well with speech and language therapy. Some are treated with testosterone at the onset of puberty to help develop bone structure and masculine appearance.

For more info, click here.

47, XYY Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/900 to 1/2000

General Description: This syndrome occurs when a male has inherited an extra Y chromosome (XYY, 47 chromosomes). 

Common Symptoms:

  • Tall (above 6 feet)
  • Produce high levels of testosterone
  • Slender, severe acne, poorly coordinated during adolescence

Many who have this syndrome are not aware they have it, which could be why the occurrence is so uncertain. They are typically fertile and live normal lives as adults. Early studies indicated there was increased aggression levels, antisocial behaviors, below average intelligence, and homosexual tendencies associated with this syndrome. However, these conclusions were falsely assumed. Some have even tried to use this syndrome as an excuse for murder, but the jury in that case decided against the man. 

Click here for more info.

47, XXX Syndrome:

Occurrence: 1/1,000, but can occur more frequently in infants born to older mothers.

General Description: This syndrome is also called Triple-X syndrome, because it occurs in women who have an extra X chromosome (XXX, 47 chromosomes). 

Common Symptoms:

  • Taller on average, an inch or more above normal
  • Unusually long legs
  • Slender torsos
  • Slight learning deficiencies

Most girls with this syndrome end up having normal development. There is occasionally an expectation of more emotional maturity toward these girls from those in authority, like teachers, as the girls tend to be taller than their peers, however, they tend to be just as emotionally mature as other girls their age. Some girls have even more X chromosomes (XXXX and XXXXX), and this can be correlated with lower IQ scores.

See this page for more info.

Testicular Feminization (or Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome):

Occurrence: 1/20,000

General Description: These are individuals with XY (male) genotype, but are phenotypically (physically expressed) females. Sometimes this syndrome can be “incomplete” in which there is a spectrum of sexual ambiguity or “complete” in which the phenotype is that of a female (see this case study for more info). This syndrome is due to a mutation on the X chromosome that inhibits androgen production. Androgens are what primarily causes the male phenotype to form. 

Common Symptoms:

  • No pubic or armpit hair
  • Sterile
  • Short blind-pouch vagina
  • No uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries
  • There are testes in the abdomen or the inguinal canal

In individuals diagnosed with this syndrome, the testes may be surgically removed and the patient may be placed on estrogens to help control the female phenotype.

Another source for more info can be found here.

Sex Reversal (De la Chapelle Syndrome):

Occurrence: 1/20,000 according to this source.

General Description: While Testicular Feminization is sometimes also classified as “sex reversal,” in this section I am discussing individuals with a genetic code of XX, but have produced the male phenotype. Basically these males are genetically female. 

A particular gene (SRY), usually located on the Y chromosome is transferred to the X chromosome (or sometimes to another chromosome) in an event called crossing over, which can happen when the gametes are being formed during the first stage of meiosis. Crossing over is part of the process of recombination, which is a natural way that organisms can produce cells with different gene combinations than from what they inherited. The SRY gene is the gene on the Y chromosome responsible for androgen production and therefore responsible for male genitalia formation.

Thus, even though the person is genetically XX, the presence of the SRY gene makes it seem like there is a Y in the DNA and produces male characteristics instead of female.

Common Symptoms:

  • Most have normal male penis development
  • Small testes or gynecomastia (breast development) may be detected at onset of puberty
  • Sterility

Occasional Symptoms:

  • Hypospadias (urethral opening not at normal position)
  • Undescended testes

Learn more here.

Conclusions: Are These People Transgender?

In doing the research for this article, it was very eye-opening to what kinds of different sex-determining anomalies are out there. I have by no means exhausted all of the cases, but these mentioned are among the most common. 

While I would say that the political Transgender movement in the U.S. and other countries definitely has an agenda that may or may not be beneficial to these people, the above examples show us that biological gender isn’t always as straightforward as most people think. 

It can be easy to think in medical terminology (or political terminology for that matter) and forget that these anomalies occur to real people. What would you do if your doctor told you that the reason you can’t have kids is that you are really a woman (or man)? How would you tell your spouse? What would their response be?

You see, life is complicated for these people and we as Christians need to be careful and thoughtful in how we respond. While many who claim to be transgender are doing it because it is the new fad, the new social “injustice” to fight, or some other reason, there are others out there who are truly hurting people just trying to understand themselves and their place in this world.

To answer the burning question “Are these people transgender?”: I would have to say, it depends. The “Trans” in transgenderism indicates that there is some sort of transformation occurring. In my mind this would be a deliberate (or forced) change for some reason or another, usually to make the “outside” you match the “inside” you. Since genetics is essentially part of the “outside” you, I would say that the above conditions should not be classified “transgender.” Also, these sexual anomalies are not the choice of the person, but something they were born with.

A sexual anomaly only becomes transgender when, for example, in the case of sex reversal, when the person is genetically XX and has definite male parts, but decides to become a woman in order to match their DNA. This is a little silly as it is because of the DNA that he is male anyway. In such a case, a person would have to do intensive surgery and have to be on a ton of medication to regulate the hormones (as even a normal person who decides to be transgender would have to do). I could get into conspiracy theories about how pharmaceutical companies love this, but I will refrain from that for now. 

However, sometimes the physical sex of the person is hard to determine and surgery and medications are needed in order for that person to have some sense of normalcy in that person’s life. So there are some gray areas here, too.

It is unfortunate that for these people their private lives have been blasted wide open by the issue of Transgenderism. What should have been a private, case-by-case issue is now an attempt for religions and governments to come up with general answers to not only the questions asked by the people who truly have sexual anomalies, but also to the silly nonsense that goes on in the political realm.

Regardless, the Christian response needs to be one of inquiry, self-education, and, above all, love. By being informed we can better be equipped to ask the right questions to determine the real issues and be able to help these people with the emotional/spiritual burdens these issues cause. I suggest that we avoid broad, sweeping allegations and take each person we meet (whether defining themselves as “transgender” or as someone with an actual sexual anomaly) on a case-by-case basis. Even though we live in a fallen world where not everything natural works the way it was designed, people are still people. And they need Jesus just like the rest of us.  

Sources:

Spiritual Aspects of Transgenderism and Christianity

One of the many hot-button topics that is affecting our culture today is the idea that one’s gender may or may not depend on one’s physical expression of the genetic gender of that individual. For example, a person may be genetically and biologically male, but feel like his gender identity, who he really is on the inside, is that of a female. Thus, he/she questions which gender should be expressed. To express his male outside would seem to force him to attempt to express his male nature by practicing social norms that other males exhibit. However, inside “he” feels like this is an act. He is not being true to herself, because she really feels like a female. Which gender should be accepted?

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Thus we have a faint introduction into transgenderism. While it seems like such a straight-forward issue for many, it is a real struggle for some. Despite many people using this issue to draw attention to themselves and seek a popularity that they may not otherwise have had without identifying as transgender, I do believe it is a legitimate issue for some. Therefore, I wish to discuss it here in depth to help those who are truly seeking to find themselves. I anticipate that I will offend both sides of the argument, but I seek to understand the truth, not merely take a side.

What Does It Mean to Be Transgender?

This is a question for the ages and it depends on who you ask and who you talk to within this group/movement of people. For some it is simply that one believes they are truly the opposite sex than what is expressed genetically/physically. For others their sexuality is more “fluid” or rather their gender/sexuality is beyond defining by mere male or female, hence the trans in “transgender.” Back in 2014, Russell Goldman of ABC posted an article listing 58 of the possible genders one could choose for their Facebook profile. I don’t currently have a Facebook account myself, but I’m sure that number has increased since then.

In a Times special edition entitled The Science of Gender, Katy Steinmetz wrote the article “Infinite Identities,” in which she had interviewed different young people who are within this movement. She explains that even those who are within the movement have trouble keeping up with what certain labels mean. Here she quotes Nick Teich, a transgender man who started the first summer camp for transgender youth in America in 2009:

“We have a growing number of kids who identify as genderqueer, nonbinary, gender-variant. People put ‘demigirl,’ ‘genderless,’ ‘no gender,’ ‘all genders,’ ‘pangender.’ We get things all the time, and I’m like, ‘What is this? I have to look this up.’ “

Since Transgenderism is so hard to define, I believe that for me to attempt to do so here would do a disservice to those involved. Perhaps a better question would be to ask: “Is it invalid to classify a person based on their biological sex?”

Yet, even that has its complications, as I will discuss further when I cover genetic abnormalities of the sex chromosomes. Today, however, I wanted to discuss more along the spiritual aspects of Transgenderism and how it relates to Christianity if at all.

Who Am I on the Inside?

This seems to be the question at the core of Transgenderism as if one’s “inside” doesn’t match the outside, then there is a feeling that in order to be genuine and real, one must take up the attempt at making the outside match the inside. But, where does this “inside” reside? If genetically and physically a person is a male, but feels on the inside that he is really a female, what is meant by “inside”?

Once we have gone beyond the physical and genetic realms of being, we approach the realms of the mind, soul, and spirit, which for the sake of argument will blend together as a “soul” issue. In this sense, Transgenderism can at its initial phase seem more spiritual than Christianity, because it is the attempt at making the natural fit the supernatural.

But, that begs the question as to whether a soul has a gender/sex identification with it at all. Some religions (even facets of Christianity) promote heaven as a place where all your sensual desires will be met. However, this may not be the case if in fact the soul/spirit has no gender at all. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about this.

A Gendered Soul?

A group of Jews called the Sadducees posed a question to Jesus about marriage and the resurrection. According to their customs if a man was married and had a brother and the man died, then his brother would marry the widow to continue his brother’s line. The question was: if a man had seven brothers and each died in his turn and married the same woman, whose wife would she be at the resurrection?

Jesus answered by saying that they didn’t know the scriptures or the power of God. “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven” (Matt 22:30 NABRE), he said.

“Well,” you might say, “there may not be marriage in heaven, but open sexual intercourse may be allowed.”

While I hate to disappoint you (and perhaps myself) in this matter, I believe that God equates marriage and sex. For there are laws in the Old Testament regarding sex and marriage. Namely if a man seduces a virgin, he must pay the bride price and make her his wife. If there is a refusal to marry by one party or the other, he must still pay the bride price (Exodus 22: 15-17). While this is similar to our system of child support, it seems to me that by establishing this law for the Jews God made sex equal to marriage. This is a concept that may be foreign to our modern ears as there have been major strides in our culture to separate sex and marriage as two distinct things, especially since the 1960s.

Regardless, sex and marriage are part of our physical experience. If indeed our souls, our spiritual selves, are like the angels and the angels are genderless, then it would follow that our souls, too are genderless.

This seems to work as this is how we are all equal in God’s sight, despite the fact that we all have different heritages, sizes, strengths and weaknesses and even different genders in our physical selves.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Physical Descriptions Are Valid, But Limited

Back to my original question: “Is it invalid to classify a person based on their biological sex?”

The answer, I believe, is “no.” If our souls are not gendered then it is perfectly valid to classify ourselves as male or female in the physical sense. We are only describing our physical bodies.

However, sex/gender isn’t the only thing that defines us, nor is our worth/value merely limited to the physical aspects of ourselves. Our soul has an infinitude of depth to it that cannot be completely defined by physical definitions. I blame our over sexual culture for instigating the idea that we can somehow define ourselves with sex and gender. We are simply not limited to this.

We are so much more.

However, we should not be surprised that people are acting “lost” as they try to define themselves. The only way to be found is to go to Jesus and accept him as savior.

The only definition you will need to know then is that you will have become God’s child. The rest (male, female, cis-male, a-gendered, all-gendered, … whatever) doesn’t really matter as much.

Is the Bible So Outdated That It No Longer Applies to Gender Orientation? : The Gay Debate – Part 4 (of 8)

When I googled the question: “Can a Christian be Homosexual?”, a link to a page by a fellow named Matthew Vines was among the top on the list. Mr. Vines is of the view that homosexuality should be allowed in the Church. A link to his page can be found here: The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality.

Mr. Vines makes several points. This post addresses his fourth point (in bold). Click on the links below to view my response to them:

Matthew Vines says that the concept of sexual orientation as a means of defining someone is a new idea and therefore the Bible’s doctrine against homosexuality cannot be applied to it because such an idea did not exist back then. Also, he points out that people who are same-gender oriented would agree that the homosexual acts described in the Bible, such as homosexual prostitution and extramarital homosexual intercourse, are just as bad in their eyes as in the Bible’s. According to Vines, Some people are born with a gay bend and there is nothing wrong with it so long as it is done in a committed, loving mutual relationship.

The actions of homosexuality have been around for millennia. The most famous example was Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). It also occurred in Israel (Judges 19). It must have been fairly common practice among non-Jews as God specifically points it out in the Law (Lev 18:22; 20:13). Paul mentions it in the New Testament as something to avoid (Rom 1:24-27; 1 Tim 1:10).

All of these, however, are what Vines calls “immoral” homosexuality. It is a homosexuality of rape, taking advantage, and sometimes even prostitution. He and I can agree on one point, this kind of homosexuality cannot be right. However, I disagree with Vines’ alternative. Is it possible to have a “holy” homosexuality, so long as it is within marriage?

The problem is that we see no Biblical example of this. There has been no unanimous revelation in the Church that it should be allowed. So why would God make people gay without having a way to satisfy that need?

Vines is right that we are probably the first people to define and classify people as homosexual in the sense of an orientation. However, is that classification valid? Are people truly homosexuals because they are born that way?

It seems only natural that what we desire and what we want should be right. That if there is an inborn “bend” toward something, how can we help but pursue that thing? However, may I remind you that we live in a fallen world? “Natural” doesn’t necessarily mean “right.” All people have some kind of bend toward something. Sometimes it isn’t harmful in the sense of certain interests and hobbies. However, some bends, such as addictive and sinful behaviors, are harmful to oneself and others. For instance, a man with a history of alcoholics in his family has a natural “bend” towards drinking alcohol. Should he do this? Is it healthy for himself and his family? Most would say that he should avoid it. However, we encourage homosexuals to continue in their homosexuality, which can be just as dangerous with the diseases that could result. 

The interesting thing is that we can actually see genetically that a person has a history of alcoholism. However, we have not found the “gay” gene. Many people say that they feel it is true, therefore it must be. So I question how “natural” being homosexual actually is.

If we want to say that homosexuality is “natural” in the sense that it is a natural product of a fallen world, then I would agree with that statement. In this sense “natural” doesn’t mean “right.” Since we are sinful beings, it is only “natural” for us to want to sin, even if it isn’t what God intended for us to be and do. 

However, that’s why Christ came into the world: to not only free us from the spiritual consequence of sin (eternal separation from God), but that through him we may begin to untangle the cords of sin that hold us back so that we can truly be the people we are meant to be even while we live here on the Earth.

We don’t really have a full knowledge of the homosexual societies of Sodom and Gomorrah, but we have only a glimpse to know that they were truly evil people. However, the Greeks had prevalent homosexuality in their culture, which started out as  mentor-type relationships. It was definitely a confusing time for the Greeks and not every mentioned homosexual record was the same, but can we really say that all of these lacked the type of commitment Vines describes as more “modern”? Some of the homosexuality was actually quite heroic in that there were groups of men in armies who were supposedly so in love with each other that they fought more valiantly than other men.

So while the idea of sexual orientation is new, it is still an ideal that is totally unhealthy and inaccurate about the way things are supposed to be as God intended.